*If Notes After Long Silence needs a warning, it's certainly not because of sexual content. *
*Big Stick is rather stroboscopic--and so I could imagine a warning about visually-instigated epilepsy. * *But these are just aggressive, in-your-face, films, not unusual for the time when they were made. * *Being made uncomfortable by a film is not being harmed.* *Scott* On Sun, Apr 1, 2018 at 10:42 PM, John Muse <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi, Scott. Cryptic! I’m sure the situation is more complicated than we > know, and am here only sharing information as I find it. The only counter > narrative I’ve discovered so far is the one published in the Boston Globe: > > > Kim Keown, a former MassArt student who said she first saw the film > years ago with no warning about its graphic content, said cautionary notice > is the critical issue. > > > > “Saul has bullied and abused other faculty and staff at MassArt for > years,” said Keown, who now works as a studio manager in the school’s film > area. “I have nothing against the film or this kind of artwork being made > or shown, but with [no] warning [it] can make one uncomfortable and unsafe. > I was his student; and I did not speak out. If I had, back then, I would > have been ridiculed.” > > > See https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/03/31/massart- > professor-says-school-ousted-him-after-student-complaints/ > rY0bKt12T1DrhJZ8ocYKJP/story.html > > I see two issues that are entangled: 1., Title IX and due process, which > is worthy of serious exploration, and according to Saul’s report is at > issue here. And 2. changing standards for “good” vs. “bad” provocation, > which you gloss with "things that seemed passionate and committed to one > generation now seeming outrageous to another.” > > I’m equally interested in how both matters play out in this case. But my > emotions are all on Saul’s side. Admittedly, I’m using the latter to > understand the former. For now, that seems ok, but I’ll certainly try to > be cautious until I learn more. > > j > > > > > On Apr 1, 2018, at 10:01 PM, Scott MacDonald <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > PS John, > > > > I'm hearing (and of course this would have to be the case) that the > situation with Saul and MassArt is more complicated than I'd originally > understood--and I suspect that there's an element here of things that > seemed passionate and committed to one generation now seeming outrageous to > another. > > > > Like, I expect, most everyone who teaches film these days, this feels > like a strange and uncomfortable time (trigger warnings, etc.). It's easy > for anyone to jump to conclusions. > > > > I don't know anything about Saul's resources, but hopefully retirement > will be good to him, even if it's been reached in a painful and stressful > way. > > > > Scott > > > > On Sun, Apr 1, 2018 at 6:42 PM, John Muse <[email protected]> wrote: > > Surprised that I haven’t read anything here on the recent news that Saul > Levine "was pushed out of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design after > administrators accused him of 'harming students' by showing his film Notes > After Long Silence, 1989, to his senior thesis class.” > > > > Here are a few resources: > > > > Saul’s original post detailing his decision to “[retire] from MassArt,” > as he says, and his reasons: https://www.facebook.com/ > story.php?story_fbid=10215932754649479&id=1165322620 > > > > The Artforum article: https://www.artforum.com/news/ > filmmaker-saul-levine-leaves-massart-following-dispute-over-artwork-74844 > > > > Indiewire article: http://www.indiewire.com/2018/ > 03/saul-levine-mass-art-notes-after-long-silence-1201945678/ > > > > Saul’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/saullevine > > > > Films mentioned in the Artforum article include "Notes After a Long > Silence" https://vimeo.com/73242778 and “The Big Stick / An Old Reel” > https://vimeo.com/89886468 > > > > j/PrM > > > > ************************************************* > > > > john muse > > visual media scholar > > haverford college > > he/him/his > > http://www.finleymuse.com > > http://www.haverford.edu/faculty/jmuse > > http://haverford.academia.edu/JohnMuse > > > > ************************************************* > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > FrameWorks mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks > > > > _______________________________________________ > > FrameWorks mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks > > j/PrM > > ************************************************* > > john muse > visual media scholar > haverford college > he/him/his > http://www.finleymuse.com > http://www.haverford.edu/faculty/jmuse > http://haverford.academia.edu/JohnMuse > > ************************************************* > > > > _______________________________________________ > FrameWorks mailing list > [email protected] > https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks >
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